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A/N: I know very little about cars, I don't even own one, so if you see something that you know isn't right, please just try to ignore it.
Buffy was on her way back to LA after a weekend visit to see her friends and mother. She turned the music a little louder on the radio and glanced at the clock. It would take at least an hour to get to the hotel and the thought made her sigh heavily, being separated from Angel for two days was agony, she could feel all the emotions more strongly but now she could blame the hormones for it. She was pulled out of her thoughts as the car started to twitch and slow down. Groaning out loud she pulled over and turned off the engine. She climbed out of the car and glanced around herself, she was in the middle of nowhere but she could figure out by the time she had been driving that there was a motel about three miles down the road. She opened the hood and jumped back as the hot steam shot up. “Just my luck”, she said and pulled out her cellphone, dialing the number she knew by heart. But the phone just let out a warning sound and went dark. “Just great! This can't be happening”, she muttered to herself and threw the useless piece of technology to the front seat. Again she looked at the dark road, guess it was time for a nice evening stroll. She grabbed her jacket and her bag from the car but before she could start walking, a pickup truck pulled over next to her car. A man, probably in his early thirties, stepped out of the car and approached Buffy. “Having trouble with your car, miss?” the man asked with a slight southern drawl in his voice. “Yeah, you could say that”, Buffy answered looking at the man suspiciously, he seemed harmless, he was wearing faded jeans and a plain flannel shirt, and though she was with Angel, she didn't deny he was good looking. “Mind if I look?” he asked and signed towards the car. “Knock yourself out”, Buffy answered and shrugged like she didn't care but truthfully she was watching his every move as discreetly as possible, he looked familiar but she couldn't tell if she had actually met him before. The man rolled his sleeves up and went to look inside the car. After a while of groping it, he straightened up and turned to Buffy. “It seems your water pump is leaking and caused it to overheat, also you could use a oil change. But this car is in great condition considering its age”, he told her “That's what I've been told, I just drive it.” “I'm Christian, by the way”, he introduced himself and offered his hand. After a moments hesitation, she took it. “I'm Buffy”, she answered and shook his hand. “It seems that your car isn't going anywhere right now but I am on my way to Los Angeles, if you need a lift”, he offered trying not to sound too forward. Buffy shifted on her feet and glanced at both ways of the dark road before making her decision. “Thanks, I'm headed to LA too, if it's not too much trouble.” She took another scrutinizing look at him, sure he was muscular and taller than her, not as tall as Angel but she could take him if he tried anything, but she doubted it since he had that whole southern gentleman thing going on. “Great”, he said with a charming smile and led her to his car, opening the passenger side door for her. 'Obviously Angel isn't the only one that didn't get the memo that chivalry is dead', Buffy thought to herself as she climbed to the car. “You're traveling light”, Christian stated and Buffy could hear the unspoken 'for a girl'. “I was just visiting for the weekend”, she explained, dropping the bag to her feet. Christian nodded in understanding and closed the door before making his way to the drivers seat. He started the car and pulled back to the road. “So how was your weekend?” he started the conversation, neither of them noticed the black SUV without headlights, following the car. Riley gripped hard the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white at the pressure. He kept his eyes fixed on the car in front of him, staying close enough to see it but just far enough not to be seen himself. Buffy and Christian had already arrived inside the city limits and and they had been talking the whole trip, just the usual conversation, nothing that would set off the alarm bells in Buffy's head. There was the first short silence during the whole trip but Christian's voice broke it. “So, is there a man in your life? Or a woman?”, he asked and glanced at her hands that were resting in her lap, no ring. “I have a boyfriend”, she answered, no need to tell that she was pregnant too, even though she liked Christian, she didn't know him. “Just my luck, I meet a great girl and she has a boyfriend. You wouldn't happen to have a sister, would you?” he said dramatically and flashed her a charmer smile. “Sorry, I'm the only child.” “Do you want me to drop you off to your apartment or where?” Christian asked and Buffy forgot about her question, realizing that she was on a familiar area, not all that far from Hyperion. “Oh, you can drop me off to the next bus stop”, she answered. “Are you sure?” he asked with a tinge of concern lacing his voice. Buffy gave him a comforting smile. “I'm sure. I really appreciate the ride.” “No problem, it was nice to have some company”, he assured her and pulled over to the bus stop. Buffy grabbed her bag from the floor and turned to look at him, his blue eyes were watching her intently and again she was bothered with the feeling she had seen him before. “Well, thanks for helping me and for the ride”, she said. “Like I said, no problem. It was pleasure to meet you, Buffy”, he said and offered his hand which she took. “You too, Christian. I better be going”, she answered and let go of his hand, turning to the door. “Good bye, Buffy. Take care of yourself.” “You too. Bye.” She closed the door behind her and headed towards the pay phone that was in the corner of the bus station, she glanced behind her as she heard the car pull off. She called back to Hyperion and gave the brief explanation of what had happened before waiting for Angel to pick her up. It didn't take long as she had guessed, ever since Angel had found out about the baby, he was constantly worrying and being a mother hen, so the thought of the mother of his child on the streets of Los Angeles at night made him drive like a mad man. As soon as the car stopped by the side of the road, Angel jumped out of it and made his way to Buffy. “Are you okay?” he asked and pulled her into a hug, placing a soft kiss next to her ear. “Angel, calm down. I'm alright, WE are alright. There was just hole in the water pump and the car got overheated, nothing major. I got a lift from a guy that stopped to help and here I am, in one piece... Or is it two pieces since I'm pregnant?” she assured her with a small smile. She placed her hand on his cheek and forced him to look her in the eyes and calm down. He took a deep breathe of air he didn't technically need but right now it felt like it. “What guy?” he asked with a frown and her face broke into a smile. “Christian, he stopped to help me with the car and offered me a ride here since he too was on his way to LA”, she explained and seeing the look on his face, that he was about to say something, she continued. “And before you remind me of the dangers of hitchhiking, I've seen the movie and heard all the warnings, but I'm a slayer, I may be pregnant but I still could have taken him out in a fight. My phone's battery died and it was either walk three miles in the dark to a motel or take a ride with him. And he was a nice guy, he didn't try anything. So there's no need to worry.” “I'm just glad you're okay. Let's go home, we'll get Gunn pick up the car tomorrow”, he said giving her a quick kiss before leading her to the car and opening the door for her. Buffy knocked on the garage door and stepped in. She couldn't help but laugh at the sight that greeted her, Angel and Gunn, both men covered in oily smudges and grime from the car from trying to prepare her car. Wesley and Gunn had picked up the car earlier on the day, the hole in the water pump wasn't all that big so Gunn managed to drive the car back to the hotel by adding more water. “So how's it going boys?” she asked with a smirk and giggled as Angel turned to look at her, showing his face, covered in black smudges. “Well, we got you a new water pump and Angel here changed the oil. You know he was around when the first car was invented”, Gunn told her, both ignoring the halfhearted glare Angel was giving them. “Yeah and he hasn't touched a car younger than thirty years”, she smirked sending a teasing glance at Angel who just gave her a look that she would pay later. “There's coffee in the kitchen, and don't worry, it's fresh, not from last weeks grinds”, Buffy directed to Gunn who gave her a appreciative smile and clapped his hands together. “That's my kind of a girl, if you decide to dump broody here, let me know”, he joked causing Angel to growl deep in his chest. Gunn glanced at Angel before deciding it was best to go and have that coffee. “So, is she ridable?” she asked approaching him, grabbing a piece of cloth and wiping the extra dirt from his face. Angel gave her a short laugh and nodded. “Yeah, a new water pump and I checked everything else, it should be running smoothly”, he answered and she couldn't help but grin at his confession of going through the car to make sure it was safe. But what he didn't tell her was that it seemed like the hole in the water pump wasn't from rust or didn't seem like something that would have been caused by driving, but he didn't want to worry her or cause any stress, so he made Gunn not to tell her if she didn't ask about it. He bend down for a kiss but remembering his still dirty face, he pulled back, noticing the surprised look on her face. “What? Do I have bad breath or something?” she asked confused. “No, but I'm covered in grime, I need to change and shower”, he answered with a reassuring smile. “Well, then we better get you cleaned up”, she said smirking and walked to the door and giving him a suggestive look and a wink over her shoulder. Angel swallowed audibly.
Angels head rested on Buffy's stomach, his ear was pressed against her skin and a wide goofy smile played on his lips. Buffy played with his still damp hair and a content smile was gracing her face, she hadn't seen him like that before and she wanted to savor the moment. “That's beautiful”, he whispered softly and pressed a tender kiss on her belly. She was starting to show, there was a slight curve on her stomach but it wasn't noticeable yet if you didn't know to look. “What is?” she asked, her voice just as soft as his. “His heartbeat, or hers”, he answered and turned to look up at her, his hand sprawling over the small bump as if to protect the life inside her. She didn't know what to say, the look on his face was so much that she could feel the tears threatening to surface but she forced herself to smile and cup his cheek pulling him up her body into a kiss. “It's so unbelievable, that we are going to have a child, I know we have known about it for some time but to actually hear the heartbeat, it makes it all so much more real”, he said still at awe of the sound he had heard so many times before. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to his body. “I know. This is something I have been dreaming for so long and never thought it would happen”, she whispered and turned to look at him, straight into his eyes. An involuntary smile rose to her lips and tears sprang to her eyes as she looked at him. “But it is happening”, she added, her voice breaking from the emotion. He raised his hand and wiped the tears from her cheeks, placing a soft kiss to her forehead and pulling her even more closer to him. “Don't cry”, he said soothingly but she shook her head, her smile not faltering. “Happy tears”, she assured him. For a moment he searched her eyes and found that she truly wasn't sad and he let a smile rise to his lips also before leaning down and claiming hers with a gentle kiss full of love. Buffy and Angel were sitting in his office as there was a knock on the door and few seconds later Cordelia walked in. “Hey, we have only two hours, chop chop”, she commanded Buffy and Angel looked at the two women in question. “For what?” he asked and Cordelia gave him a irritated look. “Before the store closes”, she said like it was obvious. “I told you about this, we're going to get that crib we were talking about”, Buffy reminded him more softly than Cordelia did. “I'll come with you”, he said already starting to rise from his chair but Buffy pushed him back down. “You can't. The store closes before sundown every day.” “But the crib must be heavy, you can't carry it”, he kept protesting causing Cordelia huff in irritation and Buffy glare at him defiantly. “I'm pregnant, not an invalid. I still can carry one baby's crib and Cordelia is going to be helping”, she said and Cordelia sharply turned her head to look at Buffy, obviously she wasn't aware of having to carry anything. “I know you're not an invalid”, he started but was interrupted by Buffy. “Then stop treating me like one. I know you worry and I do too but I can't just sit in a corner till the baby is born.” From the look of him she could see he was giving up but he wasn't happy about it. She gave him a bright smile and a quick kiss before hopping off the table and making her way through the door with Cordelia. “I'll see you later”, she hollered as they went. They made their way to the car and twenty minutes later they were at the shop. It was full of different items from furniture to clothes, some were brand new as others were antique. It didn't take long for Buffy to find the crib she was looking for and even though the price tag was high, she was convinced it was worth it. “I can't believe you will put that much money in a piece of wood when you could buy two pairs of shoes. And it's so old”, Cordelia said from behind her, shaking her head in disbelief. Buffy turned to Cordelia with a smile playing in her lips. “I know it's old but it's also in good condition and it's way better than those self-build cardboard things than fall apart. And look at it, it's beautiful. And this is something I need, I don't need another pair of shoes”, she defended her decision. “Sure it's nice but you never can have too many shoes”, Cordelia said back but didn't continue as something caught her eye and she made straight line towards it. “Oo... Look at this!” she cooed and fiddled with the piece of light pink fabric. Buffy made her way to where Cordelia was standing and saw what it was she was holding. “Cordy, the baby hasn't even born yet and we don't even know if it's a girl”, she chastised but couldn't kill Cordelia's enthusiasm. “Come on, look at this, it's the perfect princess dress, it even has the little glass shoes.” The shoes weren't glass, just see-through material but Buffy wasn't going to break the news to Cordelia. “I just need the crib, we'll reconsider the dress if the baby is girl and when she's old enough not to put the shoes in her mouth”, Buffy assured her speaking like to a child who had been refused of a toy. Cordelia just shot her annoyed glance but didn't retaliate.
Buffy bought the crib and together with Cordelia she carried it to the car. She dropped Cordelia to an audition and went to a nearby café to wait for her. She ordered a salad and found herself a table. After fifteen minutes she had glanced at the clock three times and sighed deeply, she just knew that Cordelia wasn't coming out anytime soon. “Buffy?” she heard a questioning man's voice from next to her. She lifted her gaze and saw Christian. “Christian, hi”, she said little surprised to see him. “How's your car running?” he asked with his charmer smile. “Just fine, my boyfriend and friend fixed it”, she answered noticing the coffee cup in his hand, he looked a little awkward standing there. “You wanna sit?” She signed to the chair across the table and again was rewarded with a charming smile. He sat down and they kept on talking for nearly forty-five minutes till Buffy saw Cordelia crossing the street. “Oh, I have to go, my friend is coming”, Buffy said and got up from the table. Christian did the same, quickly glancing out the window and turned to Buffy with his back to the window. “It was nice to see you, again. Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime”, he said and glanced at the mirror on the wall, seeing Cordelia walk in through the door. “Well, I have a meeting. Later, Buffy”, he said again flashing the smile and turned away. “Bye, Christian”, she said back and went to Cordelia noticing that she had just walked in. “Who was that?” she asked watching as the strange guy walked away. Buffy turned to look after Christian and then turned back to Cordelia. “Oh, Christian, the guy that gave me a ride here when my car stopped the other night. Do you want coffee or just wanna go home?” Cordelia looked around the café crunching her face. “Home. The audition was brutal, the director was a real sleaze-bag, I wanted to punch him. Or call you to punch him.” “Was it really that bad?” Buffy asked sympathetically. “The guy groped me. Went and slapped me on my butt. You know, I was this close to slapping him back”, Cordelia said showing her fingers inch apart and looking every bit of the queen C Buffy used to know in high school. “Yeah, maybe you should have called me cause there is nothing more dangerous than a hormonal slayer whose friend has been mistreated”, Buffy said. “What?” she asked confused at the look Cordelia was giving her. “You think me as your friend?” Cordelia asked with a small unsure smile. “Well, yeah”, Buffy answered, slightly guarded since she didn't know how Cordelia would feel about it. “Really?” All Buffy could do was nod. “Good, cause I consider you as a friend too, even though your fashion sense could use some work and you choose a crib instead of shoes”, Cordelia answered in her usual blunt manner, all the insecurity from few moments before was gone. Buffy rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the smile from rising to her lips.
Angel looked at the white wooden crib on the corner of their bedroom and he couldn't help but smile. “What you think?” Buffy asked from behind him, she wrapped her arms around him and placed her chin on his shoulder. “It's perfect”, he answered and turned his head enough to kiss her. “I knew you'd like it. The first time I saw it, I just fell in love with it”, she said and urged him to lay down on the bed with her. He scooted back against the headboard and pulled her into his arms placing a kiss to the top of her head. “You know Cordy is rooting for a girl and I don't think she will forgive us if the baby is a boy. Today she was looking at this pink princess dress with fake glass slippers and gloves and tiara, if the baby really is a girl, I'm afraid she might become a real princess if Cordy has anything to say to it.” “Didn't you ever want to be a princess?” he asked with a lopsided grin, he could remember her in that Halloween outfit all too well. “Not really. My cousin Celia and I used play that she got caught in an avalanche, of course it was just every pillow in the house, and I would come and rescue her”, she said with a small nostalgic smile and her eyes started to tear up, remembering her childhood best friend was hard on her. Angel pulled her closer to him and swept back her hair before he pressed a comforting kiss to her forehead. She let out a raggedy breathe. “If it's a girl, could we make her second name Celia?” she asked and lifted her head up to look at him. “Of course”, he promised and earned a teary smile. “I hope it's a girl who looks just like her mother”, he mused, placing a gentle hand on her stomach. “Well, I'm picturing a dark haired boy with chocolate brown eyes that has the same mischievous smirk as his father. I can just picture you when you were a child, I bet you got into trouble in regular basis”, she said back with a smirk, finally the playfulness reaching her eyes. “Be careful what you wish for”, he whispered back with a small smile, keeping the upcoming brooding at bay, this was not the time. “Boy or a girl, I'm happy”, she said and burrowed deeper against his chest. “Me too”, he added and placed a kiss against her hair.
With a content sigh, she closed her eyes, letting sleep claim her as did Angel. Both unaware of Riley standing in one of the apartment windows of the building across the street. He was looking through a video camera, grinding his teeth together in suppressed anger, his eyes fixated on the baby's crib on the corner of the room where Buffy was snuggled into that dead monster. His hand clenched into a fist and in a outburst of rage he threw the video camera across the room smashing it into a wall. He spun around and kept staring at the window, still able to see the outline of two bodies on the bed.
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